


A Gentleman’s Wager

by Lyrisvox



Series: 100 Prompts Series [1]
Category: All-Star Western (Comics), Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Ghosts, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:24:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4845734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrisvox/pseuds/Lyrisvox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Harvey head to Arkham Asylum to investigate an anonymous tip, but the Asylum isn't quite as abandoned as they believed. A crossover between Gotham and the All-Star Western comics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Gentleman’s Wager

**Author's Note:**

> Excited to be posting the first work in my "100 prompts" series. The challenge is to write 100 short stories off randomly assigned prompts, using unique pairings for each story. The credit for the title of this story goes to my Husband. This story is a crossover of characters from Gotham and the All-Star Western comics. I am always open to questions, comments, and constructive criticism. I hope you enjoy!

A Gentleman's Wager

 

 

“This place gives me the creeps,” Harvey said, and Jim had to agree. They drove up to the wrought iron gates. Jim stopped the car, staring up at the words “Arkham Asylum” curving darkly against the slate gray sky. He glanced at Bullock, who sat slouched in the passenger seat muttering to himself. Jim sighed and put the car in park. He would have been better off by himself.

“Please, allow me,” he said, flinging open his door and stepping out. The cold air pierced his coat and he shivered. He hurried up to the gate, grasping the freezing metal with his bare hands. The gate swung open, parting like the jaws of an ancient monster. The large tan brick edifice loomed, a multitude of darkened windows staring back at Gordon like ever-watchful eyes. He shook his head, it’s just an old building. Still, he scurried back into the car.

“This is bullshit,” Harvey said before Jim could even turn the car on.

Gordon gritted his teeth. “It’s our job Harvey. Why did you become a cop if you hate investigating?”

“Hey, I like investigating! But driving out to an abandoned nuthouse on some flimsy anonymous tip is below my pay grade. This is what they have unis for.”

Jim jabbed the key into the ignition harder than necessary. The arguments between them had been happening more frequently. Ignore him, all he wants is to get under your skin. He pulled onto the long driveway leading up to the Asylum, his foot pushing the gas pedal harder than necessary.

“We’re low on manpower and it’s our case. Captain Essen said the caller reported hearing a panicked man calling for help from inside the building. Now maybe they’re lying or maybe it’s some street kid pulling a prank but do you want to take the chance and have another body wind up on our hands because we did nothing?”

Bullock opened his mouth to retort when a loud pop came from the front of the car and the vehicle shuddered and slid out of Gordon’s control. Jim slammed on the brakes sending them skidding in a circle, sparks flying where the front rims ground against the cement. The car collided with the side of the building, coming to an abrupt stop. Jim’s heart pounded in his chest and his knuckles were white where they curved over the steering wheel. What had blown out the front tires? Harvey’s hand lay square on his chest, probably what had kept him from colliding with the steering wheel since he had neglected to put on his seatbelt. He glanced over and their eyes met.

“You okay?” Harvey asked, his hand warm against Jim’s chest.

Jim nodded. “What the hell happened?”

Harvey gave him a rough pat and climbed out of the car. Bullock un-holstered his gun and crept towards the front of the car. A look of dismay scrunched up his features seconds before he let loose with a litany of curses. Jim scrambled out after him.

“This is fucking perfect!” Harvey yelled, kicking the side of the car. Jim placed his hands on his hips and let out a long sigh. The silvery spike strip blended perfectly with the frosted cement. Its sharp teeth had done their job well, the torn remains of their front tires hung limp over the rims. He unclipped his cell phone from his belt. They weren’t going anywhere without some help. The corners of his mouth turned down when he looked at the screen.

“I’m not getting any cell reception here, are you?” he asked, interrupting Bullock’s tantrum. Harvey snatched up his own phone, holding it high in the air as he walked in a slow circle.

“Anything?”

“Nothing. This place is a shithole, what do you expect?”

Jim tried to send a text message to Captain Essen and then another to Barbara but neither went through. He glanced at his watch. Already past six. A bitter chill swept through his clothes, the clouds overhead were getting thicker by the minute. There would be a storm tonight. Harvey gave up on his phone and came over to him.

“What now, boy scout?”

“We’ll have to go back across the bridge to get a signal so we can call for a tow.” He glanced back at the Asylum. They had come all the way out here. “But first I want to take a look around.”

Harvey frowned and Jim braced for another argument, but it never came.

“Yeah alright. At least we’ll be out of the wind in there.”

They began the uphill climb to the Asylum entrance. Jim surveyed the grounds as they walked. The place appeared undisturbed with no sign of recent activity but the spikes had put him on edge. The strip could’ve been a forgotten relic from a past disagreement between the Falcone and Maroni families but his gut told him to stay alert. He undid the snap on his gun holster but left the pistol in place.

The Asylum’s wings flanked either side of the driveway closing in on them like the walls of a cage. They were newer, having been added years after the asylum opened. The main entrance was still through Arkham Manor. The dilapidated old house sat in the center of the property, a stone staircase leading up to an enormous, rotten wood door. The first snowflakes began to fall as Jim approached the door. The place had been condemned years ago and was supposed to be uninhabited but Gordon got the distinct impression someone was watching them from inside. He raised his hand to knock without thinking.

Harvey snorted and pushed past him. “Who do you think is going to answer the door? A ghost?”

Jim stiffened, puffing air out his nose. Harvey tried the handle and found the door unlocked. It opened with a heaving groan, the wood protesting even normal treatment. The door opened into a dark and musty reception hall. The filthy windows let in little light and Gordon and Bullock both clicked on their flashlights. Most of the furniture had been salvaged years ago, the few remaining broken down pieces encased in several years worth of dust. A smattering of graffiti marred the giant marble fireplace set in the center of the back wall. Jim ran his flashlight around in a methodical sweep, aware of Harvey close to his back.

“Hello?” he called, his voice causing a cascade of dust to fall from the high ceiling. “GCPD, can anyone hear me? We have a warrant to search the premises.”

 

#

 

The detective’s voice echoed around the room. The scarred skin on Jonah’s face pulled tight as he grinned.

“Looks like we’ve got visitors.”

Amadeus nodded. They got the occasional homeless person looking for a place to sleep and the mob still came around when they had something to hide or someone to kill. Still, the detectives promised an evening’s entertainment and in the afterlife you couldn’t ask for more. The two ghosts stood on the stairs, invisible to the men moving toward them from the reception hall. Jonah studied them. The younger one was clean cut, with a distinct military precision to his movements. His partner was older, grimer, with a wolfish look, reminding Jonah of himself.

“What do you think brings them here?” Amadeus asked, glancing over at Jonah.

“Beats me. Cops could be looking for anything: a body, drugs, an informant.”

Arkham nodded. The two men had made a thorough sweep of the entryway and now they proceeded toward the stairs. The scruffy one grabbed his partner’s arm pulling him close, talking to him in a hushed voice.

“I’m getting a bad feeling from this place. I say we cut out and come back when we can scrounge up some backup.”

“We haven’t even been here for five minutes,” the younger one protested. He looked up at his partner, a slight flush blooming in his cheeks. He yanked his arm away, putting some distance between them. “You know what, if you want to go call for a tow you’re more than welcome Harvey, but I’m staying. You can pick me up when they come for the car.”

“Jim, don’t be an idiot.” Harvey closed in again, glancing furtively around before he continued. “You feel it too, right?”

Jonah nudged Amadeus in the ribs. “The scruffy one is more perceptive than I expected.”

Amadeus made no reply, his gaze intent on the two men in front of them. The gears in his mind turning.

“Feel what?” Jim asked

Harvey ran a hand through his hair, an uncomfortable grimace on his face. “You’re new so maybe you haven’t heard, but some messed up shit happened here. When people die in awful ways it leaves an imprint. There’s a reason this place has been empty for so long. Even the bums don’t like to come here.”

“I never pegged you for the superstitious type.”

“Listening to my gut doesn’t make me superstitious and it’s saved my life before.”

“Harvey, I already told you: if you want to leave go ahead, but I’m not going till I’ve checked it out.”

The two ghosts watched while the younger detective checked his weapon, before making his way up the staircase to the left. He took a right at the top, disappearing from view. His partner stared after him, a muscle working in his stubbly jaw.

“Ahh, fuck,” he said before charging up the stairs himself.

Jonah gave a loud laugh, slapping his thigh. “Did you see the way the clean cut feller manipulated his partner. Oh, he’s good.”

Amadeus stayed silent, staring after the two men with an amused glint in his eye. Jonah knew the look well.

“Alright, spill it.”

Amadeus smiled. “Those men intrigue me. I think their partnership is under a bit of strain. There’s a lot unsaid between them.”

“Five minutes of arguing gave you all that?"

“Yes… and more.”

“You old dog! What do you mean?” Jonah turned Amadeus to face him.

“I think those two men have more than professional feelings for each other.”

Jonah arched an eyebrow, his gaze going to the stairs where the two men had disappeared. Did Amadeus think those two were attracted to each other? Jonah trusted the doctor’s judgement but from what he’d seen the two detectives seemed more likely to fight then fuck.

“You think they’re lovers?” he asked.

“No, the feelings are too repressed to have been expressed to one another. But the desire is there, on both sides.”

“I don’t know Arkham, I think you missed the mark with those two. If you ask me they want to beat each other bloody,” Jonah replied.

Amadeus snorted and started down the stairs. “Care to make it interesting?” he called over his shoulder.

Jonah grinned. “I’m listening.”

“We could put the detectives under pressure, crack them open and see which one of us is right.”

Jonah followed Amadeus downstairs, meeting him on the dilapidated landing.

“What are we playing for?”

“Bragging rights, as always.”

“Alright old man, you got a deal.”

 

#

 

Jim inched his way around the dark corners and crevices of the maximum security cell block. The stale air up here had coated his mouth and throat in a thick layer of wet dust. His eyes were bothering him too, burning and watering in protest. He scrubbed his shirt sleeve over his face for the thousandth time. Every few minutes he’d hear another muttered complaint from Harvey on the other side of the hall. An endless parade of cells lined the hall in front of them and each empty room wound him up tighter.

“You ready to admit defeat, boy scout?”

Harvey’s voice startled Gordon and he clamped his lips together. The urge to haul off and punch Harvey in the mouth tensed his whole arm. Bad enough to be in this creepy, dark hospital, but Bullock’s complaining crushed his remaining shreds of restraint.

Jim whirled around. “You know what Harvey-”

A long warbling sob cut Gordon off, filtering down the endless hall. A cold rush traveled up Jim’s spine, raising the hair along his body. Harvey and Jim gravitated toward each other, coming together in the center of the hall.

“Where the hell did it come from?” Bullock whispered, his gun in his hand again.

Gordon shook his head, holding up his hand for silence. Seconds ticked by, their soft breaths the only noise until another scream tore the air, this one cut off by a loud pop. Jim bolted down the hall.

“It came from down here,” he called.

“Dammit, Jim,” Harvey swore before thundering after him.

Jim slid around the curve skidding to a halt in front of a door labeled “Isolation Cell Block.” He grabbed the handle but the door wouldn’t budge. Gordon slammed his shoulder against it, but it held. He grabbed his pistol, stepping back and aiming for the door handle. He pulled the trigger, the recoil shooting up his arm. The bullet embedded right next to the handle. Harvey’s hand clamped over his upper arm before he could move.

“We go in together alright?” Bullock said against his ear.

A shiver traveled down Jim’s neck from Harvey’s hot breath. He nodded, uncomfortably aware of Bullock’s body. Get your shit together Gordon. He tried the handle again and it opened with the harsh grate of metal on metal. He and Bullock moved as one through the darkness, the sound of their harsh breathing thunderous in Jim's ears. The narrow isolation corridor kept them pressed together, practically tripping over each other’s feet as they swept each cell. The silence twisted Jim’s gut. Were they already too late?

The last cell they entered had a small window set high in the wall, bars lined the outside but a stream of frosty white light trickled down to pool on the dirty floor. Jim walked over, frustration making it hard to breathe. Not one thing had gone right since they got here and now it felt like he and Harvey were being lead on a wild goose chase.

“Were never going to find anything in this rat’s nest,” Harvey groused, kicking a chunk of loosened cement across the floor.

“There’s something going on here, you heard it too,” Jim accused.

Harvey leaned against the door frame. “I heard it, but this place plays tricks on you.”

Jim had always considered himself firmly grounded in reality but maybe Harvey had a point.

“Look-”

A rush of footsteps in the hall cut Gordon off but before either of them could react, Harvey lurched forward like he’d been shoved hard, catching Jim and driving them both into the floor. The door slammed behind them a second before Jim’s head connected violently with the floor, making stars burst inside his skull. Harvey landed on top of him, forcing the air from his lungs and for a while everything went dark.

Gordon lay on the floor, limp and gasping until things began to come back into focus. During the fall his legs had fallen open and Harvey had landed squarely between his spread thighs. The entire length of their bodies pressed together and Harvey’s heart pounded against Jim’s chest, mirroring his own pulse. Harvey put his hands on either side of Gordon’s head and pushed up, relieving some of the pressure on Jim’s chest. Gordon’s heart gave a nasty shudder when he met his partner’s eyes.

“You okay?” Harvey asked.

“I think so.”

Jim lifted his head and hissed as a balloon of pain swelled in the back of his skull.

“Hold still,” Harvey commanded, running his hand over the back of Jim’s head. The touch was surprisingly gentle and Jim’s face reddened. He’d always pictured Harvey as boorish and crude so this tender concern baffled him.

“I don’t feel a knot so I think you’ll live.”

Jim nodded in response, not trusting his voice. He kept waiting for Bullock to get up so he could be free of the strange feelings swirling inside him but Harvey stayed on top of him, trailing his hand over his jaw and down the side of his neck. Jim’s cock twitched from the touch and he sucked in a breath. He had to get away. Panic spread through his body and he shoved hard at Harvey’s shoulders. Bullock relented but not before pressing his hips down into Jim’s, making an obscene warmth pool in his genitals. Jim scrambled to his feet the moment he was free. He couldn’t stay here, couldn’t face what had happened to his body when Harvey touched him. His sweaty palm slipped over the doorknob. He turned it but the door wouldn’t budge.

“What the hell!” Jim grunted, ramming his shoulder against the door. It held tight.

“What’s wrong?”

“The goddamn door is stuck,” Jim replied.

 

#

 

Jonah leaned against the wall, watching Amadeus step through the door into the Isolation cell. Arkham returned a moments later a worried look on his face.

“Well they’re stuck in there good and tight. Now it’s just a matter of waiting till they crack, then we’ll get our answer,” Hex said.

“I’m not sure I like the idea of locking them up, Jonah.”

“You want those two to figure things out, you got to give them no other options. We’re not costing them anything but a little time. If they end up hurt it’s their own damn fault.”

“The younger one hit his head pretty hard. He might need medical attention.”

“If he starts barfing or passes out I’ll release the door but a little head trauma might be just what the boy needs,” Jonah said, a humorous gleam in his eyes. Amadeus shook his head. He came over to sit next to Jonah, while they both waited.

 

#

 

“Move out of the way.” Harvey commanded. Jim scuttled back while Bullock aimed his pistol at the door. The shot echoed loudly in the small room, followed quickly by two more. They both came forward, squinting into the holes. The bullets had embedded in the door’s steel core. Harvey tried the door again, jerking it with all his strength. The frame jerked and Jim held his breath but it just heaved uselessly. He stepped up behind Harvey and they both threw their shoulders against the door, pummeling the exit to their prison.

Harvey quit before Jim did but eventually he too had to admit defeat. He slumped down next to Bullock, his entire right arm bruised and stinging.

“We'll have to wait it out I guess,” he panted. “Eventually they’ll miss us or Barbara will get worried. The car is out front so they’ll know where to come looking for us.” Jim wasn’t sure if his words were meant to comfort Harvey or himself. A slight draft blew in around the small window and Gordon pulled his coat closer. They sat in silence for a moment and then Harvey started to laugh. Jim shut his eyes, trying to shut out the noise, but it burrowed inside him scratching over his already inflamed pride. How dare Harvey laugh at him. Jim was furious, with himself, with Harvey, with this entire fucked up situation and he snapped.

“Shut up.” His voice was soft and hard but Bullock only laughed harder, doubling over and Jim sprang at him. He grabbed his partner hauling him to his feet and slamming him against the door. “I said shut up!”

“What, boy scout? Can’t see the humor in the situation you got us into?” Bullock’s laughter changed, becoming harsher and darker.

Shame and anger poured into Jim, cutting him up. He clenched his hands harder in the fabric of Bullock’s shirt.

“Fuck you Harvey.”

“Truth hurts, huh?”

Tension boiled between them, filling the room till it crawled like ants over Jim’s skin. They stared into each other’s eyes, each challenging the other to tip them over the edge they were teetering on. This was about more than one shitty day, it had been rising between them like a spring river and now the banks could no longer hold. Without warning Bullock grabbed Jim and slammed their mouths together. Gordon went rigid. He’d honestly expected Harvey to hit him, not kiss him. Shock froze him and he stood there, letting Bullock lick his way into his mouth. Harvey took his lack of resistance as consent and he flipped them trapping Jim between the cold hard wall and his hot body. Harvey ground his hips into Jim’s, making his cock flare to life. When Bullock pulled back for air, his mouth turned up in a satisfied smirk.

“Take your hands off me,” Jim gasped.

Harvey stayed put, moving against Jim’s erection. “I don’t think you really want me to.”

Gordon bit back a moan. Bullock’s hardness rubbed against him, shredding his objections. He released his death grip on Bullock’s shirt, letting his hands rest against Harvey’s chest. Harvey kissed him again, softer this time.

“What do you want me to do Jim?”

“I, I don’t know,” he stammered. More like he couldn’t bring himself to say it. His hands spoke for him, moving till his thumbs teased over Harvey’s nipples. Harvey made a rough noise of approval.

“I like it when you touch me.”

Gordon wanted to kiss Bullock, or slap him, anything to get him to stop saying such intimate things. Through the window he could see the clouds had broken open and thick clots of snow poured down from the sky. How could it look so cold outside while in here the delicious press of Harvey's sex burnt him to a cinder where he stood? He swallowed hard, watching in horrified fascination as his fingers began popping open the buttons of Harvey’s shirt. Gordon yanked the shirt out of Bullock’s pants, baring him to the waist. A thick patch of sandy hair covered Harvey’s chest and belly and Jim dug his fingers into it, pushing through the roughness to the soft skin underneath.

“Kiss me,” Bullock commanded and Jim complied.

The moment their lips touched Jim was drowning. He pushed harder, forcing his tongue into Harvey’s mouth. His hands slid down curling around Harvey’s belt. His heart fluttered erratically in his chest matching the tremor in his hands. What had happened to his control? He’d always been so confident in his sexual encounters with women but Harvey had completely overwhelmed him.

He froze when his own belt came loose and he broke the kiss, looking down their bodies while Bullock opened his pants and dipped his hand inside. Harvey’s rough fingers encircled his shaft, giving it a sharp tug. Jim bit down on his lip to keep himself quiet. Harvey stroked him with one hand while his other guided Gordon to the fastening of his pants.

“Touch me, Jim.”

Gordon tore at the clasp of Harvey’s trousers, gasping when his hand met bare flesh. The truth of what they were about to do hit him and he looked to Bullock. Harvey had no mercy in his eyes, only a desire which shook Jim to his core. Had it always been there and he’d just overlooked it or had Bullock managed to keep it hidden from him until this minute? Either way he understood, they weren’t turning back.

He pulled Harvey’s cock out his pants. Fluid beaded out from the slit to drip down the shaft onto Bullock’s testicles. Gordon had the strangest urge to lap it up like nectar. He sunk down to his knees, the cold hard floor barely registering. His own dick throbbed hard, demanding attention, and he slipped a hand between his legs. His other hand gripped the base of Harvey’s cock, holding on to it like an anchor. He leaned forward and swiped his tongue over the tip. A hot, salty taste spread over his tongue. His gaze stretched up to find Harvey watching him, sending a delicious tendril of sexual power snaking up his spine. Bullock reached down, fingers tracing a tender line over the side of Jim’s face.

“You’re too pretty for your own damn good.” Bullock’s voice came out rough and low but the words made Jim’s heart stutter fearfully. He’d assumed this was about sex, a physical release of the pressure building between them. But maybe for Harvey it was more. The thought of Harvey having feelings for him made him feel like the world was tilting beneath him. To distract himself Jim opened his mouth, sucking Harvey in one slow sweet slide. He pleasured Bullock with a single minded determination, his doubts melting away with the slide of flesh over his tongue. Harvey let him know how good it felt. He’d never touched another man but the steady stream of harsh moans and curses helped give him confidence.

The cock in his mouth gave a sudden desperate jerk and Harvey’s hand got tight in his hair.

“Jim, I’m going to come. Do you want it in your mouth?”

Gordon barely had time to nod before thick fluid shot over his tongue. He swallowed, the heat spreading through his whole body. The bitter tase of come in his mouth forced Jim’s mind to catch up with his over-aroused body. He panicked, pulling off of Harvey’s cock, dribbling some of Bullock’s release down his chin. He wiped his hand over it, unable to look at the slickness on his palm. His own dick stood hard and ardent, making his lower abdomen ache. He sucked in a shaky breath.

“I… I,” He started but Harvey was on him again, pulling him to his feet so he could kiss him. His head began to spin and Jim pushed Harvey back.

“You taste like come.”

Jim blanched under the sting of those words. Bullock soothed him by pushing his hand back into Gordon’s pants. Fingers closed around Jim’s cock, the touch feather light and teasing.

“Relax, I’d hate to leave you like this…” Harvey said, and Jim almost sobbed. He stayed silent but his hips thrust into Bullock’s touch. His body using every tool available to beg Harvey to give him relief. Harvey pressed his thumb against the ridge of Jim’s glans and hot soupy pleasure rushed down his legs. Bullock gave him one more hard kiss before lowering down between Jim’s thighs. He wasted no time before sucking Jim’s dick in, burying his nose in the sandy curls at his base. Gordon’s eyes rolled back in his head and he locked his knees to keep on his feet.

“God.” The word burst out of him. His hands found purchase in Bullock’s hair. Jim stared helplessly at his groin, unable to look away as his cock thrust in and out of Harvey’s mouth. He rode the cresting wave as Harvey sucked harder and harder. The tingles of his approaching orgasm pulled his scrotum tight but Bullock pulled away.

“Do you want me to make you come?” He traced one finger over Jim’s spit soaked tip.

Gordon groaned and shuddered.

“Come on boy scout, I want to hear you say it.” Bullock leaned forward so his demand came out as a hot breath against Jim’s shaft.

“Harvey, please.” Bullock would never know how much those words had cost Jim. Bullock made it worth it though and seconds later Jim struggled to breathe while he emptied himself in Harvey’s mouth. His legs gave out at the end, dropping him to the ground in front of his partner. Bullock pulled him forward, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. A straight tightness gripped Jim’s chest. Harvey kept touching him, placing slow caresses up Jim’s arms and down his neck and chest. His own fingers slid over Bullock’s belly till he held his hips. His mind began to fling objections at him. Sucking each other off was one thing, but this was far more dangerous. The way they were touching each other now felt intimate, tender, almost like they were lovers. No, no, no! There was no part of him in love with Harvey Bullock. He had Barbara. He loved Barbara. But honestly things with Barbara were… changing. She seemed so far away from him recently.

“What’s got you thinking so hard?” Harvey asked softly.

Jim looked up at him and his panic must have been plain to see because Bullock backed off, a rueful smile ghosting over his mouth.

“I figured your conscience would rear it’s ugly head sooner or later.”

Harvey stood, and a cold stab pierced Jim’s gut as he watched his partner start shutting himself down.

“Harvey-” he started, but Bullock cut him off with a gesture.

“Don’t get yourself in a tizzy,” Harvey said, offering a hand to help Jim back to his feet. “Believe it or not weirder shit than this has happened before and the world keeps on turning.”

Jim took Bullock’s hand and pulled himself upright. He stood, staring at Bullock, who turned away and began putting his clothes to rights. Harvey had offered him a way out. Wasn’t it what he wanted? Why then did his insides crawl when he thought about letting Harvey walk away from what they’d just done?

“Dammit Harvey!” Jim snapped and Bullock turned around, raising an eyebrow at him. “Maybe you can put what we did in your weird shit box and forget it but I’m not made that way.” Jim swallowed and winced because he could still taste Harvey’s release in his mouth. Bullock’s eyebrows came together and he gave Jim a piercing look. He took a step back toward Jim, back into his personal space. Jim held still, letting Harvey close in on him. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t add another lie onto the already monstrous load he carried. He needed Harvey to understand.

“Okay Jim, what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What we did…” Jim had to give something to Bullock, to let down part of his defenses. “I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen.”

Harvey cracked a smile. “Alright, we sucked each other off. I can live with that.”

Gordon laughed, a bit of the tension inside him ebbing away. This wasn’t going to break them. It would change them, already a familiar magnetism pulled him closer to Harvey, but it was better than cutting his feelings off and leaving himself with another open wound. Bullock had a wicked gleam in his eyes and Jim could tell a world of teasing and innuendo were headed his way. He could live with that.

 

#

 

Arkham and Hex stood in the hallway outside the Isolation cells. Once it had become clear the two detectives were getting intimate Amadeus had dragged Jonah away.

“How long do you think it will take before they realize the door isn’t locked anymore?” Jonah asked.

“Depends.” Arkham said with a self-satisfied tilt to his mouth.

“Oh alright, you won. Stop gloating already.”

“We were playing for bragging rights,” Amadeus reminded him.

Jonah rolled his eyes. “Time to spill you old goat, how’d you know?”

Amadeus chuckled and turned to face Jonah.

“As a psychiatrist I have been trained to see what people are hiding. No matter how deep the desires are buried they always show themselves in our subconscious actions.”

Jonah nodded. He’d often known what men were capable of just from looking at them.

“I guess your fancy medical training had to be good for something,” he said.

“Helped me figure you out fairly quickly,” Amadeus added.

Jonah would have blushed if he had any blood left. Arkham reached out and entwined their fingers. Hex gave a raspy hum, content to walk hand in hand with the man he loved. 

 

Fin


End file.
